Operation MAGIC
by Jenrukiforevz
Summary: Muggle-born with Kuki Sanban has just been admitted into Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. While there, she meets many new friends, and a secret organization that could change everything. KND and Harry Potter Crossover Re-Uploaded. Contains slight 1/Lizzie, 3/4, 2/5, and 362/274. Will be more relevant in future stories.
1. The Hogwarts Express

**M**uggles  
**A**re  
**G**reatly  
**I**nvolved  
**C**asters

Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express

Kuki Sanban was hopelessly trying to figure out where Platform Nine and Three Quarters was. She was sure she was at the right place: King's Cross Station. But she couldn't see the Hogwarts Express anywhere.

She had been trying to ask the people around her, but all of them stared back at her as if she was crazy, especially since she had a trolley with all sorts of weird contraptions on it.

You see, Kuki was a Muggle-born witch, which meant that she knew nothing about the Wizard world and how it all worked. The first time she had ever heard about a witch or wizard was when a mysterious letter arrived at her doorstep at the beggining of summer, announcing that she was to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on September the first.

At least she hadn't changed into her robes yet, that would've been embarrassing. It was a miracle she had managed to get them in the first place. Being Muggles, her family didn't know where to get her supplies. Luckily, they had stumbled upon a friendly plump witch with curly red hair who introduced them to Diagon Alley.

There, she had bought her robes, books, potion ingredients, and as a gift, a beautiful burrowing owl which made her little sister, Mushi, really jealous. She had named her precious pet Sunny, because she liked to have her cage near the window and soak in the sunlight.

She began to panick as she checked her watch. Only ten more minutes till the train left, and she still didn't know where it was. Suddenly, someone poked her shoulder. She turned around to see a slightly chubby boy with light brown hair, a blue buttoned-up shirt, brown pants, and a pair of sneakers. She tried to make out the color of his eyes, but they were hidden behind some yellow pilot goggles that he wore over them.

"You too?" he asked, looking around. He too was pushing a trolley, the first thing you saw being a fat green toad in a minuscule cage.

She nodded. "You a muggleborn too?"

"Nah, I'm a half-blood. My mom never knew my dad was a wizard," he replied.

"Was?" Kuki couldn't help but ask. She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Uhh, yeah. He... He passed away a couple of years ago," he answered uncomfortably.

Kuki looked down at the floor. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I've gotten over it," he ended. He then cheered back up and asked, "So, how did your family react?"

She smiled, giggling a bit. "They went crazy. They tried to sue the postal service, but then some old woman named Proffesor McGonagall cleared it all up and told my parents the truth. My mom and dad didn't like the sound of me going to a boarding school to learn magic, but they said that a talent like mine shouldn't be wasted. And then you should've see my sister! She was pouting all day because she wanted to be a witch too. I'm not sure she will be though. It was a pretty awkward goodbye. They decided to do so in the parking lot."

"Nice. The same here with my little brother, Tommy. He made mom make him some robes, then he grabbed a stick from the backyard and pointing it at things saying the weirdest things. I hope he doesn't explode before I get back," he chuckled. "We were running late so we didn't have a proper farewell. She still had to drop off Tommy at school."

She nodded, but then checked her watch again. Now, she only had 7 minutes. "If we don't hurry, the train is going to leave without us!"

"Well, no one seems to know where it is!"

"Yeah," she agreed. "I'm Kuki by the way. Kuki Sanban."

"Call me Hoagie," he introduced himself in turn.

It was getting really uncomfortable, now that there were two of them. Some of the little children wanted to poke their fingers into Sunny's cage, but their mothers shooed them on.

When there were only 5 minutes left, they saw a dark-skinned family (a mom, dad, and what seemed to be two sisters) rushing by, all of them pushing a pair of trolleys between themselves.  
Hoagie instinctively caught Kuki's eye, and so they both ran after them, their trolleys slowing them down. They followed the family, making all of the other people move out of the way unless they wanted to get run over. Finally, the two saw the family disappear into a pillar between Platform 9 and 10.

"Woah! Did they just run into that thing?" Hoagie wondered aloud.

"I think so. I'll go first," Kuki offered.

"Um, okay."

Kuki gripped her trolley tightly, waited till no one was looking, and then sprinted straight forward as fast as she could. The wall got closer and closer until, finally, she broke through it. She opened her eyes to see a magnificent scarlet steam engine, kids hurrying onto it as they bid their families farewell.  
Hoagie soon appeared beside her, urging her to get herself, and her things, on the train.

"C'mon, Kuki! The train is about to leave!" Hoagie exclaimed.

Sure enough, there were only 2 minutes left. Kuki quickly pushed her trolley and tried to pull up her stuff all at once. Hoagie tried doing the same, but they both needed more time.

"Here, let Abby help."

Kuki peered sideways to see the younger dark-skinned girl she had seen earlier. She was wearing a dark blue dress with white stripes on the sides, white buckle shoes, and on her head, a red hat. She also wore some golden hoop earrings, and her black hair was tied back in one long, yet neat, braid.  
Abby helped her heave her trunk onto the train, as well as pass Sunny's cage over. She then did the same for Hoagie and so they finished at the nick of time.

The train blew its horn, and Kuki had to help Abby up. She could see the students waving goodbye to their parents from the windows, and she whished her parents had been there too. "Maybe next year..." she thought.

"Thanks for helping," Kuki said appreciatively.

"Yeah, I don't think we would've made it in time without you," Hagie consented.

Abby shook her head. "Nah, it was no biggie. I'm Abigail Lincoln, but I go by Abby."

"I'm Kuki, and this is Hoagie."

Abby offered her hand, which the others shook one at a time.

"Nice to meet ya. I saw you chasing us over there. I would've helped but we were late. Cree insisted she needed to look her best." At this time, she made a disgusted face. "You guys muggle-borns?"

Kuki nodded, but Hoagie just crossed his arms. "Half-blood," he corrected.

Kuki and Abby both rolled their eyes.

"Whatever. We should probably get a compartment, though. I don't want to be standing in the hallway the whole ride," Abby suggested.  
The other two agreed, and so they walked towards the end of the train since the rest were all occupied. They finally found one at the very end, and so they all seated themselves and got comfortable.

Kuki was glad that she had already made some new friends, and she was eager to tell them all about herself, and to hear what their lives were like as well, especially Abby's; she wondered what a wizard family was like.

"So, what house do you think you'll be in?" Abby asked, mischievously.

"I don't know, I have a feeling I'll be a Ravenclaw," Hoagie shrugged. "What about you Kuki?"

"House?" she puzzled. She didn't even know what they were.

"Yeah, your house. Oh wait, muggle-born. Right," Hoagie remembered. "I did a little reserach once I got my books. Well, at Hogwarts, there are four houses: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. I read about them over the summer. You're supposed to take some sort of test, and that determines which house you'll be in. It all depends on your personality and how you act."

Abby nodded. "My sister said that they put something called The Sorting Hat on your head. That's how they find out."

Kuki kept this information in her head. She would have to learn a lot this year. "So, what are the houses like?"

"Well, Hufflepuffs are loyal and friendly, Ravenclaws are the smart ones, Gryffindors are the brave ones, and Slytherins are the sly and cunning ones, but most of us just call them the evil ones," Hoagie explained.

"Yeah, You-Know-Who and most of his followers were in Slytherin," Abby concurred.

"You-Know-Who?"

Abby leaned in closer, since Kuki was in the seat opposite her. "He was the darkest wizard of all time."

Kuki shivered at the thought. "Oh. In that case, I hope I'm not in Slytherin."

"Thankfully, he died 30 years ago in the hands of Harry Potter, the boy who lived," Abby assured her. "You've heard of him, surely?"

Kuki found herself scanning her brain for any mention of Harry Potter. "No, I don´t suppose I have. But I'm sure I´ll learn about him eventually."

"Yeah, I guess so, but you're not the one who should be worrying," Abby whispered, then sighed."My mom was a Ravenclaw, my dad a Hufflepuff, and my sister is a Slytherin. I don't want to end up with her. I could end up anywhere!"

Hoagie patted her back. "You'll be fine. I heard that if you ask the hat, it'll put you in the house you want to be," he encouraged.

"That's nonsense. Abby doesn't believe in that kind of stuff." She didn't even consider the thought.

Kuki wanted to help cheer up her new friend, but couldn't think of anything to say. "Well, it's worth-"

Just then, she was interrupted by two boys, one extremely shorter than the other, that burst into the compartment, closing the sliding door swiftly behind them. As soon as it was secured, a fuming boy with flippy blonde hair stormed past.

"Man, that was close," one of them said in a foreign accent (Australian, she guessed), as he wiped the sweat off his forehead which was covered with neat, blonde, bowl-cut hair that partly hid his sparkling green eyes from view. He was wearing an orange hoodie, some jeans, and white tennis shoes. He was quite short for his age, but Kuki found that adorable.

"Yeah. Remind me never to pull a prank on someone with you again," the other replied, picking up some black sunglasses that he had dropped during their escape. He was taller than his friend, with a bald head, blue eyes, and a genuine British accent. He wore a red turtleneck shirt along with brown shorts, white woolen socks, and brown boots that made him look like he was going to war.

Kuki, Abby, and Hoagie, just stared at them, as if wondering if they should say something.

"Excuse me?" Abby finally confronted rudely, clearly annoyed by their interruption.

"Oh sorry," the short one said, seating himself on Kuki's right side. "We were running away from this one Slytherin fourth-year. We pulled a prank on him, putting a whoopie cushion on his seat so that it sounded as if he was farting, and right in front of his girlfriend too," he sniggered.

Hoagie laughed and raised his hand for a high-five. "Good one." The kid smiled and accepted the high-five, although he had to jump a bit to reach it.

"I'm Hoagie, this is Abby and over there is Kuki," Hoagie then introduced his new acquaintances.

"Cool, I'm Wally, and the workaholic over there is Nigel."

Nigel punched Wally on the arm playfully. "I am not a workaholic."

"Whatever you say," Wally answered, unconvinced.

"Well, we were just talking about what house we thought we'd end up in. Do you guys have any idea in which one you'll be in?" Hoagie asked.

Wally shrugged. "My parents were both Hufflepuffs, but I don't think I'm anything like them. Hufflepuffs are just a bunch of ninnies if you ask me. My uncle Lou was a Slytherin though. I hope I don't end up like him; he is such a loser."

"I want to be in Gryffindor, like most of my family," Nigel said, puffing up his chest a little. "I doubt I'm up for it, though."

Kuki didn't know which house she would prefer. All of them sounded nice, with the exception on Slytherin of course. She wasn't the smartest, or the bravest, and although she was friendly, there were a few times when she really lost her temper and went on a rampage. Only time would tell where she would end up.

And so the five of them started taking about other things, eventually buying some delicious wizard treats from a lady pushing a food cart. When they almost arrived at Hogwarts, they changed into their robes, and awaited their arrival at the school.

This would be a year to remember.


	2. The Sorting

**Chapter 2: The Sorting**

After they had changed, it wasn't long before they could see the towering castle that was Hogwarts. Abby couldn't help but gasp at its beauty, the lake surrounding it gleaming as the moon shone down upon it. Trees bordered the back side where the Forbidden Forest was, just as Cree had told her. She was suddenly pressed against the glass, the rest trying to catch a glimpse of their new school also.

"Hello? Abby's getting squished here!" she said, pushing them off.

"Oh. Sorry, Abby. It's just so pretty!" Kuki squealed, closing her eyes.

"I could've sworn I saw a mermaid over there!" Wally exclaimed in awe.

Abby dusted off her sister's old robes and nodded. "Cree said that they live in the lake."

"Wait, if mermaids exist, then what else exists?" Kuki asked excitedly.

"Centaurs, unicorns, banshees, hinkypunks, hippogriffs, and a lot more. Don't worry, we'll learn all about them in our Defese Against the Dark Arts class."

"I heard that the job is jinxed! Most of them don't last too long," Wally whispered.  
Abby slapped him in the back with her hat. "That's silly. Whatever mess they get into, it's only their fault and no one else's."

Wally shrugged his shoulders, grinning meekly.

"Hey, the train stopped! We're here!" Hoagie cried.

Abby realized it was true; they weren't moving anymore. "Then what are ya'll waiting for? Let's go!"

So the five of them, Abby taking the lead, walked down the hallway and got off the train.

"What about our things?" Kuki questioned, perplexed.

"They'll send it to our rooms once we've been sorted," Nigel answered, practically bouncing with anticipation. Abby couldn't help but smile at this. She could tell he was the serious type, but could still act like a little fangirl when he was really excited.

"Okay!" Kuki skipped cheerfully the rest of the way, stopping when she accidentally bounced into a huge man with a long brown beard, now turning gray with age. "Oops sorry-" she stopped when she figured out who she was dealing with. "Woah."

The man just smiled down at her. He was extremely tall, his robes patterned with mud and leaves. He called out, "Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!"

Abby saw Kuki blush in embarrassment and take a step back. Abby stood behind her, the rest of the first years crowding around.

When it looked like they were all there, the man straightened and shouted over the racket the other students were making, "Welcome ter 'Ogwarts! Me name's Hagrid and I'll be taking yeh to the school by boat. Now, come along!" He motioned with his hand for them to follow, and so they did.

"Why do you think he's so big?" Kuki asked beside Abby.

She shrugged in reply. "Cree says that she thinks he's half giant, but I don't know if that's true."

Just then, they came to an abrupt stop at the edge of the lake where a dozen canoes were waiting for them in a straight line, a lantern hanging from the tip of each one.

"C'mon now! Five to a boat!" Hagrid insisted, helping some of the less persistent first years onto a canoe.

"Let's all get into that one!" Hoagie suggested, pointing to one that was slightly larger than the rest, blue paint peeling.

Kuki didn't even have to be asked twice as she jumped in, making the canoe sway a little as she landed. Wally got on next, followed by Nigel, Hoagie, and finally, Abby.

"Everyone in? Good let's get goin'," Hagrid announced, and as if it was guided by magic, which it probably was, Abby reminded herself, the boats headed straight towards the castle. The stars shone brightly overhead, and Abby even saw a mermaid like Wally had seen earlier. She could hear the others whispering loudly to their friends, hoping to see another one.

They arrived at the bank in a quick, but well-spent 5 minutes. Abby noted that one of the students was behind a bush throwing up some candy that the he had gulped down on the train. "Nasty!" she thought.

Once everyone was settled once more, Hagrid lead them into the castle where he waved goodbye to join the others, and left them in the care of their Headmistress, Proffesor McGonagall.

Proffesor McGonagall was a tall and old lady with gray hair tucked neatly in a bun at the top of her head and square-shaped spectacles. Today, she was wearing brilliant maroon robes, decorated with silver stars all over. In one hand, she held a patchy and worn hat that looked as if it would crumble down and die at any moment, and in the other, she was carrying a wooden stool.

"Welcome students, to your first year at Hogwarts!" she welcomed them. "Before we begin the feast, you shall all be sorted into one of the four houses, where you will be remaining for all of your years at this school."

Students whispered amongst themselves, and Abby guessed that they were having conversations similar to the one they had on the train.

They all followed their Headmistress down a grand marble staircase and into a great hall. The students all opened their eyes in awe. The ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky outside, starry and cloudless. At the other end of the hall, the proffesors were lined up in luxurious seats, the biggest one was empty, but Abby guessed it was only because Proffesor McGonagall was doing the ceremony.  
Four long tables were lined up, each of the house emblems hanging gracefully from the wall over their respecting houses.

The school burst into applause as they saw the first years arrive.

"Thank you, thank you," Proffesor McGonagall calmed the crowd. "We will begin tonight's celebration with, of course, our traditional Sorting Ceremony. But first, our hat has come up with a new song."

She put he stool down and then gently placed the hat on it. As soon as the whole room had its attention, it broke into a song about the four houses. The others seemed to be surprised by this, but Abby didn't pay any attention. She was too worried about which house she would end up in.

Before she knew it, the song was over and Proffesor McGonagall said, "When I call out your name, please step forward. First up is Hogarth Pennywhistle Gilligan Jr."

Hoagie sighed and Abby couldn't help but snigger. No wonder he called himself Hoagie. He had one heck of a name.

"Wish me good luck," he whispered in her ear before he stepped forward and nervously sat on the stool. Proffesor McGonagall placed the hat on him, and after a few seconds, it called out, "Ravenclaw!"  
Hoagie sighed in relief and handed the hat back to Proffesor McGonagall. He waved at his friends and took a seat at he Ravenclaw table where a handsome boy patted him on the back as a welcome.

Patton Drilovsky was called up next and ended up in Hufflepuff, much to his dismay apparently. Francine Fulbright took longer than the others, but ended up in Gryffindor, although for some reason, the people at the Gryffindor table didn't look too happy about it.

"Sanban, Kuki," Proffesor McGonagall continued.

Kuki shakingly walked up to the stool and took the hat. It only had to touch her forehad before it called out, "Hufflepuff!" and she was skipping off to the Hufflepuff table, slightly dissppointed. Abby guesses it was because of what Wally had told her. She gave her the thumbs up to cheer her up, and then a third-year with choppy brown hair greeted her with a smile.

Soon, after Gabe Chesterfield was put into Ravenclaw, it was Wally's turn. He jumped onto the stool, placed the hat over his head, which was way too big for him, and started whispering, "Please not Hufflepuff, please not Hufflepuff!"

"Gryffindor!"

Wally shouted, "Yes!" Then sat down at the Gryffindor table, seemingly proud of himself.

The next five kids all got put into Slytherin, and then, Abby's moment came.

"Lincoln, Abigail!" the Headmistress announced.

Abby took a deep breath, then cautiously approached the stool and sat. From the corner of her eye, she could see Cree smirking, as if she was daring her to make a fool of herself. Abby shot a glare at her sister before she took the hat and put it on.

It covered her eyes, and was a bit startled when the hat began speaking to her. "Hmmm, not a quite a Hufflepuff. Gryffindor might be good though. Slytherin would take you far also, if you really want it."  
When she heard this she tried what Hoagie had said, she talked back to the hat.

"Please no! I'll never fit in if I'm in Slytherin. I'll be hated throughout the school! You don't have to put me in Gryffindor! Ravenclaw is enough," she begged in her head.

"Hmmm," it seemed to consider. "You do have the commn sense, and you are eager to learn. Very well, so be it. Ravenclaw!"

Abby could've cried because of the relief she felt. She took off the hat, and walked down to the Ravenclaw table, sitting down next to Hoagie, where he gave her a high-five.

More and more students were sorted until it was Nigel's turn, where he turned out to be a Gryffindor, like he wanted.

After the sorting was over, Proffesor McGonagall went back to her seat and started announcing a few things.

"This year, the Quidditch season will be beggining early. Try-outs will be held in two weeks. Like always, students are reminded that the forest is strictly forbidden, and that the houses will be competing against each other for the House Cup. The house with the most points wins, so I'd advise all of you to behave yourselves. Also, please welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Proffesor Pin!"

As she said this, an elegant and tall lady with wavy red hair stood up. She was wearing a sparkling and expensive-looking necklace with a bright green ember on it, and shining robes of red. Her pale blue eyes flickered here and there as if she was choosing her favorite students before she even met them. She waved pleaseantly at them, even though they barely applauded.

Abby supposed that they still thought that she'd be gone by next year.

"That will be all for now. Let the feast begin!" McGonagall ordered.

The empty plates and glasses instantly filled up with all different types of food: treacle tart, chocolate pudding, cakes, pies, buttered corn, and pretty much anything else.

Abby took her fair share and ate it in a civilized manner. Hoagie was just making a mess all over the place, and she could see that Wally was doing the same, splattering his food all over Nigel. Kuki seemed to be doing fine; she was having a conversation with another Hufflepuff newbie with dark skin, like herself.

The feast went on for another hour, until Proffesor McGonagall dismissed everyone to their common rooms. Abby waved one last goodbye to Kuki before following the Ravenclaw prefect, a serious-looking girl with short black hair and bony hands named Lisa.

"This year is going to be epic!" Hoagie commented as Lisa explained how to get into the common room.

"I sure hope so."

* * *  
Once Kuki arrived at her common room, she slumped down on a chair. She was disappointed that even though she had made four, FOUR, new friends, none of them had ended up with her. The girl at her table, Angelie Daniels, had been nice to her, but she had already gone to catch up with her other friends. It seemed that the only other lonely one was Patton, who had already gone up to his dorm.  
She had been hoping against all odds that somehow, all five of them would end up in the same house.

But of course, she should have noticed that they were all quite different.

Nigel was serious, hard-working, and a natural born leader even though he could start panicking easily. Wally was daring and strong, which made up for his size. Abby was cool, smart, and someone who had no trouble in reaching her goals. Finally, Hoagie was a complete jokester, which he had proven on the train by using terrible puns that no one found funny, but was still exceptionally intelligent and curious.  
It was no help when the rest of the school thought of them as complete ninnies. She did, however, take a liking to the Hufflepuff ghost, the Fat Friar. He was a plump and jolly old ghost who enjoyed solving the students' problems and hearing them out.

In the end, Kuki decided to stop feeling sorry for herself and go to sleep. She walked up the stairs that led to the girls' dormitories.

There, she found all of her things piled up in front of a four-poster bed closest to the window. She organized her luggage, and then changed into her pajamas and got into her bed.

"Tomorrow, I have Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws, so I'll be able to see Abby and Hoagie again. I could even take Sunny to the Owlery so she won't be lonely," she thought happily. And so, because of these thoughts, she was finally able to fall asleep.


	3. Bets and Pigmy Puffs

Chapter 3: Bets and Pigmy Puffs

Hoagie woke to the sound of screams coming down from the Ravenclaw common room. He groggily got out of bed and picked up his wand and pilot goggles from his bedside cabinet.

The other four boys in his dorm had laughed at him for still wearing them after he had figured out he was a wizard, but Hoagie had just shrugged it off. His father had given them to him when he had confessed that he wanted to be a pilot when he grew up. Now, he might not be a pilot, but he knew that a broomstick could work just as well.

He lazily put them on, then sprinted down the stairs into the common room where the girls were split up into groups. It seemed that they were searching for something.

"Can anyone tell me what's happening over here?" Hoagie asked irritatedly as the other boys caught up to him downstairs.

Abby seperated herself from the rest and headed over to the confused mob of was wearing a dark blue robe with a white waistband, white fuzzy slippers, and her signature red hat.

"Kimberly lost her pet pigmypuff," she sighed. "Abby only agreed to look for it because... well you should've seen her! Crying and moping all over the place!"

Hoagie shrugged. "What's so special about a pigmypuff?"

"Are you kidding?" Gabe, one of the guys in the same dorm as Hoagie asked rudely. "They are one of the most cutest species of magical creatures wizardkind have ever see. Plus, they're pretty rare nowadays."

Hoagie rolled his eyes. "But you had to wake us all up for this?"

Just then, a girl with shoulder-length black hair, red glasses, and a french accent raised her hand with what looked like a pink puffball and cried, "I found it!"

All of the girls crowded around, cheering madly. One of them, a girl with two messy blonde ponytails, took it with extreme care, cuddling it like a mother would do to her child.

"Great, now what? There's still another hour left until breakfast," Hoagie pointed out as he and Abby backed away from the other Ravenclaws.

"I don't know, but I'm certainly looking forward to our Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. Abby just hopes Proffesor Pin knows what she's doing. My dad works for the Ministry, so he's told me a few things," she responded as she sat down on a rocking chair next to the fireplace.

"I just hope she survives the year!" he joked, sitting down as well.

"You believe in that junk too!?" she exclaimed, slouching in her seat.

Hoagie nodded. "Of course! No one's lasted more than a year or two here with that job ever sinceHarry Potter came. It should be considered a fact by now."

"Whatever, Abby-" she suddenly stopped, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Abby has an idea: let's make a bet. If Proffesor Pin is still here at Hogwarts, safe and sound, to teach next year, I win. If not you win."

Hoagie smiled mischievously. "What are we betting?"

"If Abby wins, then you have to... um..." She thought a bit more before saying, "You have to do my Defense Against the Dark Arts homework for an entire month."

"And if I win," Hoagie said, "you have to wear a big pink bow and act like Cree is your biggest role model in life at the beggining of the year feast when we're second years."

Abby cringed but accepted, offering her hand to seal the deal. "You're on."

Hoagie took it immediately and stuck out his tongue. "I'd be looking for a pink bow if I were you."


	4. Proffesor Pin

**Chapter 4: Proffesor Pin**

Kuki woke up in a good mood. She got to meet Angelie's friends, and now, she didn't feel as alone as she did the night before. Even Patton seemed to feel better, because as she went down to the hall for breakfast, she saw him with another Hufflepuff boy, talking about something called Quidditch.

She took a seat next to Angelie at the Hufflepuff table, and soon enough, the Abby and Hoagie waved back at her on their way to their own table. At one point, she also saw Nigel and Wally talking to the Gryffindors, which made her blush a bit, although she had no idea why.

"So, do you guys think that Proffesor Pin will last?" one of Angelie's friends, Virginia, brought up. Virginia was a slightly punk girl who had brown hair which was always tied into two ponytails and had parted bangs.

"I don't know. Do you think the rumors are true?" Muffy, another friend, puzzled.

"Of course! I don't think Proffesor Pin will last very long. What do you think Kuki?" Angelie replied.

Kuki shrugged while taking another bite of her food. "I guess we won't know until we meet her. She might be the first."

Kuki and the others rushed past the other students to get to Proffesor Pin's class on time. They were talking so much that they had lost track of time, and if they didn't hurry, they would be late on their first made it just in time, the rest of the class staring at them as if they had just killed someone.

Proffesor Pin looked up from the book she had been reading, stood up from her desk, and gave them all a disapproving gaze. She was still wearing her emerald necklace from the previous day, but her robes were no longer elegant. Instead of sweeping red robes, she was wearing simple and inexpensive blue robes with sleeves that were too short for her.

"If you had arrived only a moment later, you would have been late Miss Sanban and company," she droned, her pale eyes boring into Kuki's skin. If Kuki had been less intimidated by this, she might have noticed that she spoke with an Irish accent.

"We're sorry Proffesor Pin, ma'am," Virginia saved her. She gave Kuki a comforting glance before continuing. "We seemed to have lost track of time; we are excited after all. It won't happen again, we promise."

"Very well, please take a seat. I have a schedule to follow, you know," Proffesor Pin accepted sourly, sitting back down at her desk.

Kuki gingerly sat down at the table next to Abby and Hoagie and sighed with relief. Angelie sat beside her, and Virginia sat with Muffy a few tables back. Hoagie smiled briefly at her before Proffesor Pin began, which made her feel a little better.

"Well, now that everyone's here, welcome to your first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. As you all know by now, I am Proffesor Pin. Today, we will be learning about basic defense spells that are easy to use if you are in a dangerous situation. The first spell we will be going over is the simple disarming spell, _Expelliarmus_."

Kuki excitedly pulled out her wand from her Muggle Rainbow Monkey bag and waited in anticipation. This would be the first magic-related thing she would be learning this year, and she was eager to prove that she could be a great witch, despite being a muggle-born.

Once everyone had their wands out, Proffesor Pin took out her wand, a slim and highly decorated one with her first name (Prudence) engraved at the front, and got up, walking down the rows of seats.

"I will explain and give an example once and only once, so be sure to pay attention," she said, her eyes coldly examining the first years. "You must pronounce it right or it will backfire, so be sure you have the pronounciation down correctly."

With a flick of her wand, the pronounciation began writing itself on the chalboard with a piece of chalk that floated gracefully through the air.

"For this, I will need a volunteer," the Proffesor said, stopping where Virginia was seated. Virginia instinctively straightened herself, as if she was about to strike down her prey.

"Miss Sims, I'm sure you would like to volunteer?" she asked, even though it sounded much more like a dare than a question.

Virginia pushed her chair back and bravely walked up to the front of the classroom, waiting for directions from Proffesor Pin.

For a second, Kuki couldn't help but feel admiration for the girl. Kuki knew that she would have never built up the courage to stand up to Proffesor Pin, not in a thousand years. She was far too timid for that.

She now understand why she hadn't been in Gryffindor. What she couldn't understand, however, was why Virginia hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor instead of Hufflepuff. She was certainly bold enough.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Proffesor Pin clearing her throat. She calmly strode over to where Virginia stood and examined her.

"I am going to ask that you, Miss Sims, hold up your wand."

Virginia did so, pointing it at the Proffesor's chest as if she had been told to do so before many times.

The Proffesor held hers up as well and called, "Watch closely."

Virginia narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out from the side of her mouth in concentration. Then, without warning, Proffesor Pin exclaimed, "_Expelliarmus_!" and Virginia's wand was blasted into the air and into the Proffesor's outstretched hand.

The class whispered to each other in excitement as a very embarrased Virginia collected her wand and sat back down, the eyes of everyone following her.

"Now," Proffesor Pin announced. "Each and every one of you will try to disarm me before I do the same to you. I will call you out in random order. Mister Stork, you're up."

And so one by one, all of the students tried and failed to disarm Proffesor Pin. Both Hoagie and Patton got pretty close, but they ended up mispronouncing a syllable or moving their wands the wrong way.

When it was Kuki's turn, she shyly walked up and held her wand up, trying her best not to look too terrified.

"_Expelli_- hiccup!"

Kuki covered her mouth in humiliation. Whenever she got really nervous, she would start to hiccup.

In a split second, she found her wand in Proffesor Pin's wretched clutches.

The Proffesor walked over and placed her wand back to its owner's hand.

"Thank you Miss Sanban, you may now go back to your seat."

Kuki dragged her feet all the way back to her chair and covered her eyes. She felt like she was gonna cry. Angelie patted her back to try to calm her down, and luckily, it worked.

"Next up is Miss Lincoln."

Kuki watched as Abby fearlessly took her place opposite Proffesor Pin. She grinned mischievously as she took out her wand from her robe pockets, licked her lips like a hungry wolf, and creased her eyebrows.

Proffesor Pin flicked her wand, but not fast enough.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

To everyone's astonishment, Proffesor Pin's wand was now in Abby's hand. To top it all off, Proffesor Pin didn't seem angry at all. Instead, she looked slightly impressed.

The room was quiet for a few seconds, then erupted into cheers from the other students, including Kuki. This went on as Abby returned Proffesor Pin's wand and took her seat next to Hoagie, who gave her a wink and a high-five.

"Magnificent, Miss Lincoln! I've never seen such a young witch with as much promise as you. Fifteen points to Ravenclaw," Proffesor Pin congradulated when the yelling finally died down. "Homework will be to practice and perfect the spell, for we will try again tomorrow, this time, as a graded assignment. Miss Lincoln, I would like to speak to you after class, the rest of you are now dismissed."

Kuki put all of her things back into her bag, then mouthed the words _good luck _in Abby's direction before leaving.

Once she was outside, Hoagie approached her and groaned. "I better be prepared to do Abby's homeowork next year, because I don't think anything can keep Proffesor Pin away from this job."


	5. Gifted

**Chapter 5: Gifted**

Abby was a bit confused as to why Proffesor Pin would want to see her. She hadn't done anything wrong, had she?

Maybe she thought that she had cheated somehow, but the truth was that her dad had taught her the wand movements for a few spells. Normally, he would've been punished for doing so, but since he worked at the Ministry of Magic, he was let off with a warning.

She collected her things, put them in her bag, and waited till the room was empty before walking up to the Proffesor's desk.

"Is there anything wrong, Proffesor Pin?"

The teacher shook her head and stood. "Not at all, Miss Lincoln. In fact, I am here to make you an offer to join, a sort of... club."

Abby followed Proffesor Pin with her eyes as she moved to the other side of the classroom.

"What kind of club?" she asked with suspicion.

"Even though this is my first year at Hogwarts," she began, "I have taught at other schools before, mainly Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. I've always sought out the most promising students in hopes of making them even greater. And so I would like to invite you to be one of those students."

Abby slung her bag over her shoulder and sighed. "Abby doesn't think so. I mean, no offense Proffesor, but Abby doesn't want to be treated differently than the rest by any teacher. Abby wants to prove that she can be a great witch without your help."

With that, she opened the door and was about to leave for Charms class, when the Proffesor called from behind, "I understand perfectly. However, you're free to change your mind, or simply come to me in a time of need."

"Thanks," Abby muttered as she scampered off to her class.

"Why would Abby need her help?" she asked herself.


	6. Herbology Isn't Your Thing

**Chapter 6: Herbology Isn't Your Thing**

Wally was fuming as he and the rest of the Gryffindor first years were heading to their Herbology lesson. There were now holes in his new robes, and he knew that if his parents found out, especially his mom, they would freak. It had taken a big part of their salaries to buy him all of his stuff down in Diagon Alley after all.

"I can't believe it! The nerve! Twenty points from Gryffindor! Cruddy proffesor thinking he's so smart and all!" he cried, throwing his arms up in the air, his hair bouncing forward and backwards because of the force of it.

Nigel rolled his eyes, his robes still perfectly intact.

"He's a proffesor, of course he's smart. No offense, but your terrible at Potions! I thought that would be kind of obvious, and I don't blame him for screaming at you. I mean, you did burn a hole in the wall, and demolished your cauldron too. You're gonna have to order a new one..."

Wally crossed his arms as if what Nigel had said hadn't made a difference.

"Well, it's my first time. Something was bound to go wrong," he retorted as the Gryffindors reached a staircase and started climbing down them.

"I didn't see anyone else do quite what you did. Fanny's didn't cure boils, just made them worse, and Charles' didn't work at all, but yours was the only one to do any real damage."

They were now out of the castle and the greenhouses where Herbology took place were just over the next hill.

"Well, I, um..." Wally tried to come up with some sort of comeback, but nothing appealed to him, so he just made a pouty face and rolled with it.

It wasn't long before they reached the greenhouse where Proffesor Longbottom (Ha! Longbottom!) had everything set up for his first class of the year. The Ravenclaws appeared quickly after, although Abby arrived a little later than the rest.

Proffesor Longbottom was a round faced man with a couple scars on his cheeks from the war that raged at Hogwarts between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort himself. Today, he wore some nice green robes that sort of reminded Wally of the Slytherin Crest, which was absurd since Proffesor Longbottom was Head of Gryffindor House.

Once everyone was settled, Proffesor Longbottom called the class to order.

"Alright class, today we will be re-potting some Mandrakes. Everyone get a pair of earmuffs and make sure they fit nice and snug, because a Mandrake's cry can paralyze one of you at this age. I will give an example first."

When everyone successfully had their earmuffs placed tightly on their heads, the Proffesor took a Mandrake plant and pulled it out.

Wally cringed at the sight of it, for it looked like a baby, but way uglier. It started screaming the moment it was taken from its comfortable pot, but calmed down once Proffesor Longbottom had re-potted the plant into a larger pot.

"Now that you have seen how, I want you all to get into groups of three and re-pot as many Mandrakes as you can. Now, begin," the Proffesor instructed.

Wally, determined to do things right this time, joined Nigel and Hoagie at a table. Abby was nearby with two other Ravenclaw girls, staring at the boys with disbelief.

"You three won't get any work done, I bet," she told them, although she was barely audible because of the earmuffs covering their ears.

Hoagie sniggered, his eyes closed. "Another bet eh? Tell you what, the team who re-pots the most Mandrakes wins. If we win, you girls have to bow down to us and adress us as 'Sirs' whenever you see us for a whole week."

Abby smirked, her eyes narrowing. "You're on! But if we win, you have to do the same to us, plus do our Herbology homework also."

Both Nigel and Wally nodded in agreement, giving each other high-fives.

"Alright then, let's get going girls," Abby announced, gathering her two Ravenclaw buddies together to make a game plan.

"Shouldn't we huddle too?" Nigel asked as Wally and Hoagie started re-potting their plants. Wally was having trouble with his, since he was shorter and the Mandrake wouldn't stop squirming to and fro.

"Nah, their just wasting time. By the time we're done, they'll still be _rooted _to the spot," Hoagie replied, then started laughing at his own pun, which really wasn't very funny. (Abby took a break from her team to slap him with her hat) "Let's just get to work already," Hoagie said, his eyes looking down at his plant.

After about another minute, Abby and her friends were now in the game, making a line so that each girl had a different task: Abby kept the plant still, Kimberly grabbed the pot, and Rebecca stuffed the plant into the pot.

Wally watched longingly at Abby's group. Hoagie was trying to stop his Mandrake from crying and Nigel was unsuccessfully trying to get his into the pot, since it kept resisting.

Wally shook his head; he wasn't going to fail at another class today. He forcefully shoved his Mandrake into the pot, making it squeal even louder.

"Get in you cruddy anklebiter!" he shouted at it, which only provoked it even further. Eventually, the Mandrake got so frustrated that it screamed at the top of its lungs, making everyone turn in his direction.

"Maybe I should take it from here..." Proffesor Longbottom suggested as he walked over to their table.

Wally moved his plant away and shook his head. "I can do it. It's just a cruddy plant."

And so with all his might, he pushed the Mandrake into the pot head first, and stumbled backwards and into the Proffesor, which made him drop his earmuffs.

And then the Mandrake screamed like it had never screamed before. Wally could only stand and stare as Proffesor Longbottom fell to the floor, paralyzed. The scream was so loud in fact, that some of his classmates with weaker earmuffs fell too.

The room was silent for some time before Kimberly, the Ravenclaw girl, ran off to go get help for their poor Proffesor.

"I am so dead," Wally mumbled to himself.

Just then, Abby came over as well and laughed a wicked laugh. "Abby told you guys you wouldn't get any work done. We win."

Hoagie balled his hands into fists and confronted her. "No fair! This bet doesn't count because of the circumstances."

Abby crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "The only circumstance is that Wally made a mess of things, so we win fair and square."

Kimberly came back shortly after, Madam Pomfrey in tow.

"My, my, poor Neville. I thought that when he graduated from Hogwarts that he wouldn't have to visit me often anymore," she fretted as she knelt down beside him. "You are all dismissed from class early. Everyone except the one who paralyzed the Proffesor and all these other poor souls." At this, she pointed at the number of people on the floor.

"Good luck," Nigel whispered to Wally on his way out. "We're gonna be busy calling the girls 'Miss' all day and bowing down to them. Good thing there's no homework though."

Wally slumped his shoulders in misery as the room slowly emptied out and he was the only one left.

Madam Pomfrey raised her hand and flexed her finger. Wally obediently got closer, his forehead covered in sweat.

"You, sir, will be having detention this Saturday at 5 pm. The nurse's office, don't forget," she told him in an intimidating way.

He nodded, and left without a word, almost forgetting his bag, which he always had trouble carrying because of his size.

"Boy, Herbology just isn't my thing, huh?"


	7. That One Slytherin Girl

Chapter 7: That One Slytherin Girl

Nigel returned to the Gryffindor common room with the rest. It was quite a nice walk there since the corridors were empty except for a few students heading to the hospital wing and some others who were delivering messages to other teachers. In addition,Wally wasn't complaining about anything for once.

He had even started to work on some of his homework, even though it was boring doing it all by himself. Luckily, it didn't take long before Wally came back, kicking the floor and muttering under his breath.

"So?" he asked with curiosity. "What happened?"

Wally grumpily sat down on one of the armchairs near the fire and tried to ignore him.

"You got detention didn't you?" Nigel guessed instinctively.

Nigel knew that Wally got into trouble often since they had known each other for a long time. He remembered that he had defended him when some older kids where making fun of his accent when Wally had first arrived in Britain.

That was way back when they were eight, a little more than three years ago. Sure Wally was irritating at times, and he certainly wasn't too bright, but he trusted him to have his back.

Wally didn't answer, which proved his accusation correct.

"Oh, c'mon Wally! It's barely the first real day of school!"

Wally narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "It was those cruddy Mandrakes' fault. Proffesor Longbottom should've given us something easier."

Nigel sat in another chair oppsite his denying pal and sighed. "You can't just go about your life blaming anyone else but yourself. You just need to try harder next time, okay? We only have Charms left, so try not to mess up this time."

Wally didn't answer, but he didn't talk back either, so he took that as a yes.

He returned to the table where he continued on his homework, wondering if he should invite Wally over as well. He instantly decided not to; since when did Wallabee Beatles ever take orders from him? Or do his homework for that matter?

And so Nigel began to list the magical properties of a beazoar until the rest of the Gryffindors arrived for break before lunch.

He finished most of it before lunch, so he took a break to head down early since he was really hungry. Maybe it hadn't been a good choice though, because as he walked down the marble staircases, he felt like he was being watched.

Nigel didn't walk with Wally on their way to Charms class, since he seemed to be in an extremely bad mood. To be honest though, Nigel didn't mind. It felt nice to be interacting with some of the other Gryffindors, even though he steered clear of Fanny, who seemed to be alone most of the time.

He now knew why the Gryffindors hadn't welcomed her with open arms. She was a feminist, for one, and blamed boys for everything. She was also constantly bragging about her family and how her father was the Minister of Magic.

Once he reached his next lesson, he sat down next to Lance, a tall boy with fair skin and barely any hair, like himself, even though he knew he would never grow any again, who was in the same dorm. Wally sat behind with Caleb, a square-faced boy with a big nose and hair that looked like the hair cuts the muggle milatary had, who was also in their dorm.

To their disgust though, the Slytherins joined them shortly, a tight clump of Slytherin boys at the front, sniggering at one of the articles in the Daily Prophet, followed by a smaller gang of girls. They were all giggling at something one of them had said, a chubby girl with orange hair woven into two braids at her sides who wore big, round glasses.

Once everyone was seated, the teacher, Proffesor Simons, gave the class a warm welcome with a smile that could have blinded a moose.

"Good morning, students! My name is Proffesor Simons and I will be your Charms teacher for as long as you are here at Hogwarts! Since you guys are first years, I know that you are still new to the people around you, so I'm going to change that. For the rest of the year, you will be paired up with a student from a different house, in this case, Slytherin."

Shouts of disagreements arose from the whole class. Wally was so shocked by this that he climbed onto his table and took out his wand, although he didn't use it; not for the moment anyway.

Nigel was also dissappointed. Everyone in the school knew that the Gryffindors and Slytherins did not get along well.

The room eventually got so loud, that Proffesor Simons had to use a silencing charm for all of the students to finally shut up.

"Now, when I call your name, please step forward," she continued, although her tone had changed from cheery to slightly irritated. The class appeared to have sighed all at once, and then the pairs started to be organized.

Caleb ended up with Runt, a short kid, just like Wally, but with a wicked smile plastered on his face, and who looked much more intimidating. Fanny was paired up with a big guy named Lunk who was much more scared of her than she was of him.

"Mister Uno?"

Nigel reluctantly grabbed his bag and walked to the front of the class. He waited patiently, hoping he wasn't paired up with some of the more scary-looking Slytherins.

"You will be paired up with Miss Divine."

The girl Nigel had seen earlier stepped forward, giving him an awkward smile. Well, she didn't seem too bad. She had at least smiled.

Proffesor Simons pointed to a table at the back at the room, and Nigel and his new partner sat down at it. They didn't speak to each other, but the silence became a silent agreement to try to get along.

Wally got paired up with some kid named Goof with buck teeth and an elongated face, and Lance ended up sitting with Wilbur, a not as short boy with messy dark blonde hair.

Once everyone was given their new seats, Proffesor Simons taugth them a levitating charm, and instructed them to practice on a feather.

Nigel instinctively brought out his wand and started to practice alongside his partner who had trouble at first, but got the hang of it eventually.

Nigel, on the other hand, couldn't quite do it right. His feather kept floating up for a few seconds, then fell down as hard as a feather could possibly fall.

The girl kept looking sideways at him, but Nigel ignored her. He wanted to prove to that girl that he could do it without any help.

On his next try, he nearly got it right, but fell short when he stumbled with his wand. This seemed to be the last straw of her patience because she suddenly grabbed his arm and steadied it, putting it in the right position.

Nigel, too shocked to say anything stared at her like a dumby.

"You're saying it wrong. Try elongating the 'o'. That should help," she suggested, looking away to make sure no one else was watching.

"Um, okay."

Nigel tried it again, this time taking her advice and his feather finally levitated off the table. He wasn't surprised, but he couldn't help but stare at her.

She quickly looked away, and they didn't speak for the rest of the class.

When class was over, she was the first to get up, yet he found himself grasping her wrist. To his immense luck, no one else noticed.

"I'm Nigel," he murmured, blushing furiously because of what he had just done.

"Lizzie," she simply replied before she left, leaving Nigel dumbstruck in his chair. So much that Wally had to go pick him up before he could even move.

As they walked back to their common room, Nigel couldn't help but ignore his friend's rants and think about the way he had acted towards Lizzie.


	8. Someone Watching

**A/U: This one is a short, but next chapter will be exciting, trust me. Till then, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Someone Watching

Ever since that awkward encounter with Professor Pin, Abby had been having the weird feeling that someone was obeserving her from afar.

She had a right to suspect Proffesor Pin straight away, but she knew better than to jump to conclusions. So for the next two weeks, she constantly kept her wand at the ready and looked over her shoulder every few minutes.

She felt alright during class, but once she was out in the hallways, she felt almost _vulnerable_. She cringed at the thought. Abigail Lincoln was not vulnerable, and never would be if she had the power.

On the bright side, Hoagie had realized that he had made a bet that he could not possibly win. Proffesor Pin challenged her students regularly, making them learn hexes in a limited amount of time and finding out if they could handle a grindylow if they were ever in a situation with one.

Abby was content knowing that Hoagie would lose at least two bets this year. She still reminisced in the memories of the boys bowing down to her whenever the bumped into each other in the corridors. Hoagie, who was in all of her classes, had it worse than the other two. The thought made her laugh quietly to herself.

One day, while she was conversing with Hoagie, whom she had made a close friend out of, in the hall, Nigel asked to speak to her in private.

Abby nodded and followed the bald boy into a deserted classroom. Once he checked that no one was around, he motioned over and whispered right in her ear, "Do you feel like you're being watched too?"

The weight on Abby's chest immediately lifted and she sighed in relief. "So Abby's not the only one?"

He shook his head. "I've seen you a little tense lately, so I wondered if it was bothering you as well. I've meant to ask the others, but they all look so care-free that I doubt it."

Abby silently agreed with him. The rest were acting as usual, meanwhile Nigel and Abby had to be constantly checking their atmosphere.

"I wonder what, or who, it is..." Nigel pondered as he started to pace.

"Well, it's almost time for Transfiguration and Abby's gotta go, but if you figure anything else out, just let her know."

"Okay, bye then."

Nigel bid Abby farewell, then Abby headed for her class, happy to know that she wasn't the only one.


	9. Dumbledore's Army

**Chapter 9: Dumbledore's Army**

It was right after his last class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, on a Wednesday afternoon when it happened.

Wally was chatting with Charles up ahead, so Nigel was left to his own thoughts for a while. For the past few weeks, he and Lizzie had started to talk to each other more when everyone else was looking elsewhere.

Although they were both ashamed to admit to their friends that they were actually _enjoying _each other's company, they didn't mind. Charms class was definitely his favorite class ever since then.

Lizzie turned out to be a heavy sorter. She had told him once that she wasn't fit for Hufflepuff, she neglected Gryffindor, much to his dismay, and that the hat had been debating between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Wanting to impress her family, she asked for Slytherin, so she would carry on the Divine's legacy.

He was so distracted by this memory, however, that he didn't notice another Gryffindor just a year older than him blocking his way. He accidentally bumped into her and apologized before he tried to continue his way.

The girl didn't step aside, just stood there with her arms crossed. She had shoulder-length dark blonde hair and big brown eyes. He had seen her before, but he couldn't recall her name.

"Your Nigel Uno, correct?" she asked, her gaze demanding an answer, even if her words didn't.

"Yeah, so?" he replied, staring blankly back at her.

"Follow me," she ordered, spinning around and heading in the opposite direction.

Nigel didn't want to know what would happen if he disobeyed, so he just went along with it, following in the older girl's footsteps.

They walked for about ten minutes, in complete silence the whole time. Some students stared, since it looked a lot like he was being taken somewhere, probably to detention or something.

Soon though, the pair stopped in front of one of the walls of the castle. This specific part of the wall, though, was especially worn out for some reason. Nigel looked around, but the girl didn't move, and no one else came along either.

He waited for another while, then couldn't help but ask, "Um, what are we doing here?"

The girl smirked mischievously in a way that reminded him of Abby.

"We're waiting for Maurice," she answered, then went back to staring at the wall.

Nigel didn't ask anything else, yet his mind was full to the brim with questions, especially when a dark-skinned boy revealed himself when he rounded the corner, Abby, Hoagie, and another Ravenclaw first year with buck teeth and orange hair closely following. He thought that he had seen an extra shadow, but they were the only ones.

"Nigel?" Hoagie exclaimed in surprise, glancing at him and then at the boy who he assumed was Maurice.

Nigel shrugged, turning to take a closer look at Maurice. He was probably in his fourth year at Hogwarts since he was pretty tall, and some parts of his robes were embroidered in yellow, so he had a feeling he was in Hufflepuff.

"I didn't expect you to bring him this early, Rachel," he said as he aproached, Abby and Hoagie being as confused as ever.

Rachel shrugged. "I decided to do it sooner than later. Chad's already in with the Hufflepuff candidates, so let's not keep them waiting, shall we?"

Maurice nodded and both he and Rachel scrunched up their faces in concentration. Abby narrowed her eyes down at them, but didn't question. Hoagie and Nigel found it odd too, but they were interrupted by a noise coming from behind them.

To their amazement, a door had appeared in the wall. It had been bare before, but now, Rachel opened the door and ushered them inside.

Nigel followed cautiously, Hoagie, Abby, and the other kid behind him. He couldn't help but awe at the sight.

The room was lit by a series of torches on the walls that emitted beautiful blue flames, and the room was crowded with students of all ages and houses, although there were only a couple of Slytherins here and there.

The room was extremely large, much bigger than it looked from outside. There were bookshelves all over, and cardboard boxes were piled high in some corners. Everyone was busy, wether they were doing homework or working on some kind of spell. Others were discussing serious matters in the far corners away from the others.

"Okay, stick together because it's always like this at the beggining of the year. The meeting should be called in about a few minutes and we might get stuck in traffic," Maurice instructed, making a single file line.

Sure enough, when they were halfway to wherever they were going, a booming voice resounded throughout the room.

"All DA members please report to the assembly hall for our annual recruitment ceremony," it announced.

At that moment, swarms of people crowded around. It was so packed that he had to hold hands with Rachel and Abby so as not to get lost.

After a couple of minutes, the people started to clear up as they neared a different chamber within the room where a grand stage awaited. Rows of benches surrounded it, kids taking seats wherever it was available. However, Rachel lead them elsewhere, most likely backstage.

Nigel was right, and was surprised to see Virginia, one of Kuki's friends, and two other Hufflepuff boys already there with the Slytherin boy they had pranked on the Hogwarts Express.

The boy caught his eye and frowned. "Please don't tell me your friend is here too."

He shook his head, but realized too late that he was speaking ill of Wally.

"I see you and Chad have met," Maurice teased, trying to lighten up the mood.

Chad ignored him and looked away.

Virginia suddenly stomped her foot on the ground, hard.

"Can someone stop it with all the secrecy and tell us where in heck we actually are?!" she asked, even though it sounded more like a demand.

Chad smirked and crossed his arms.

"Of course. You're in Dumbledore's Army."


	10. New Recruits

**Chapter 10: New Recruits**

Abby caught her breath so that it made it hard for her to breathe. She had heard of the secret organization in Hogwarts from her older brother, when he was on his school breaks, but she had never really believed him, since he had a tendency to joke around.

Yet, she had always hoped that she would be chosen to join. The way he retold some of his adventures, which she had thought were made up, made it impossible to recline an invitation to join if you were to be asked.

"You mean, you brought us here to join the DA?" she asked incredulously.

Maurice nodded, giving her a smile. "Guess we have a leak somewhere, though."

Chad interrupted by clearing his throat. "Naturally, you do have the right to choose wether you want to join or not. If you accept this offer, then there's no going back unless you want to write your name on the wall of dishonorables and have all of your memories regarding the DA erased."

Patton and Bartie looked extremely excited about this, but Virginia was a bit reluctant.

"What exactly is the DA anyways? I want to know what I'm getting into before I make any decisions," she said, her eyes narrowing as if she was suspicious of what Chad was planning to do with them.

Rachel stepped forward, bouncing as she asked Maurice, "Oh can I please explain this time? I'm really stoked that I got this far last year."

Maurice rolled his eyes in amusement, but let her explain anyways. Rachel started talking straight away.

"Thirty-three years ago, the very own Harry Potter founded Dumbledore's Army in the Room of Requirement just after the return of You-Know-Who when one teacher in particular started giving them a hard time. He dedicated a lot of his time to train other kids for the worst, since he knew that dark times were drawing ahead for them at Hogwarts."

"The group only lasted a year, and the Room of Requirement was destroyed in a magical fire only two years later, but an unknown student rebuilt the room for, once again, unknown reasons. Only twenty-five years ago did a student named Montgomery, last name secret, re-founded the organization because of hardships at school."

"Ever since then, the students who are a part of the DA have dedicated themselves to improve the school when things have gone wrong. Three years ago, in fact, one of the school's many Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers was poorly chosen, and had students punished severely for any misbehavior. Dumbledore's Army, however, took care of that quickly."

"In other words, if you choose to join, you'll be helping everyone create a better Hogwarts environment. Missions can be potentially dangerous to yourself though. Being caught by a teacher is unevitable, but the number of times you are caught is up to how you handle the types of situations you are in."

"That is why not everyone is chosen to join. Students must have certain qualities to even be considered. And those few are you guys. Every year, we gather the first years with the most potential to join our ranks. It is usually a few from every house, but Gryffindor hasn't showed much promise this year, and Slytherin wasn't fit either."

Abby could barely see it but Chad lowered his eyes when Rachel mentioned this. Nigel did also, but not with as much passion as Chad did.

"So now you have the final choice. Is it a yes or a no? We need an answer soon because we're keeping the crowd waiting."

Virginia nodded, her eyes shining as she high-fived with her two Hufflepuff comrades. Hoagie seemed eager and Abby was too, but she wanted to make sure Nigel was in too.

"What do ya say? We in or not?"

Nigel frowned. He looked uneasy, as if he really didn't have a clue. "I don't know. It sounds kind of dangerous. Besides, I feel kind of guilty, leaving Kuki and Wally out of this."

Hoagie jumped up and slung his right arm over his friend's shoulder. "C'mon, bud! This our time to bloom! See what I did there?" he giggled, covering his mouth. "I called him a bud, and you know, buds bloom?"

Abby slapped him with her hat and left him there to rub his head. She patted Nigel on the back and said, "Abby's not accepting without ya, and this means a lot ta her, so ya better say yes. This the opportunity of a lifetime."

Nigel smiled. "Well... if my answer is gonna get in your way, then okay."

Abby was about to thank him when someone behind her shouted, "I wanna join too!"

Abby turned around to see Kuki jump out from the shadows. She was bouncing with excitement, which made strands of her long black hair spill onto her face.

"Hey, what are you doing here?!" Chad yelled, pulling out his wand and pointing it at her, his eyes bearing into her skin. "You weren't invited."

Kuki's eyes shook for a moment but then calmed down.

"Well, when you asked for Virginia and never came back, I got suspicious. When I saw that guy taking Abby and Hoagie, I decided to tag along. Then I saw you guys make a door appear and I went through it before it disappeared. I followed you through the crowd, and I heard the story. And I want to help too," she stated matter-of-factly.

Rachel groaned, as if this was going to be painful. "Not just anyone can be in the DA. You have to be good at something or have valuable traits..."

"I can do a lot of things!" Kuki retorted, sticking her tongue out like a child.

Abby didn't want to dissapoint her friend, but she knew that she wasn't the brightest and that she wasn't capable of great acts of magic. Her grades were pretty average, and she hadn't done anything special like she and Virginia had done.

"Listen, if you don't leave right now, then I'll be forced to use a memory charm on you!" Chad warned, poising his wand dangerously.

Kuki smiled evily, shaking her finger in the process. "If you don't let me join, then I'll report your little club to Proffesor McGonagall right away."

Chad laughed. "I could easily wipe your memory at this very moment."

Kuki stared at him for what seemed like hours, then swiftly took her wand out and and cried, "_Expelliarmus_!"

Chad's wand flew out of his hand and into Kuki's which was gradually holding Rachel's and Maurice's wands as well.

"I've been practicing," she said once she saw the surprised faces of everyone.

Chad clenched his fists and started to advance on her, but Maurice held him back.

"Hey, what's the big deal?" he demanded, turning on his superior.

Maurice seemed amused by Chad's behavior, so Chad untensed his muscles, wondering what was so funny. Abby couldn't understand it either.

"Let her join. She does have the upper hand to wizards that are older than her. I think she's earned her spot in Dumbledore's Army just by having the nerve to follow us here. I mean, not one of us noticed, did we?"

Rachel shook her head, and so did Chad after a while.

"Fine," he grumbled. "Let's just get them on stage, shall we? I have business to attend to and I don't intend to waste any more time."

Kuki clapped triumphantly, returned everybody's wands, and joined her three friends as they were lead onto the stage.

"Best day ever!"


End file.
